Sebastian stood in the crater's dust, the Space Authority ring humming on his finger. The Space Stone's vibration pulsed through him, resonating with a force in the distance—a crimson storm swirling beneath a T-shaped ship.
Another Infinity Stone?
His gaze caught the London Eye's silhouette against the skyline.
London, then. But when?
The onlookers' stares bore into him, but he ignored them, his mind racing.
With a flick of his wand, he dissolved into black smoke, soaring skyward toward the red particles and the ominous ship.
The air crackled with energy as he descended, landing in Greenwich's chaos.
Below, Thor clashed with a pale, sharp-eared alien clad in black—Malekith, leader of the Dark Elves.
Crimson Aether particles poured from Malekith's hands, twisting reality itself. Sebastian's breath caught.
The Reality Stone.
His thoughts turned to Frigga, his mentor and friend, the Asgardian queen who'd shaped his magic.
If Malekith held the Aether, was she safe? Dread tightened his chest, his face darkening with remorse.
Sebastian raised his wand, the Space Stone flaring to shield him from the Reality Stone's warping influence.
He plunged through the Aether's crimson haze, landing near Thor and Malekith. His arrival halted their battle, both turning to face him.
Thor's eyes widened, a grin breaking through his grief.
"Sebastian! You're alive!"
"Thor, not now," Sebastian said, his voice tight. "Frigga—how is she?"
Thor's face fell, sorrow and rage etching deep lines. He shook his head slowly. "Frigga… she was killed by the Dark Elves. Asgard cremated her.
She's one with the World Tree now."
The words hit Sebastian like a curse, grief clawing at his heart. He'd braced for it, but the loss stung—Frigga, his guide, gone.
"How?" he demanded, voice cracking. "She was Asgard's magical heart. A single assassin couldn't do this!"
Malekith's voice cut in, cold and mocking. "Unless she gave her power away."
Sebastian's eyes narrowed, locking onto the Dark Elf. "Gave it to whom?"
Malekith's lips curled, relishing the taunt. "A pity for Frigga. She poured her magic into her son, but it cost her life. And that son? He fell to me. Asgard will crumble under our vengeance."
The truth sank in, heavy and bitter. Frigga had gifted her magical authority to Loki, weakening herself, only for a Dark Elf blade to end her.
Loki's fate—dead or not—mattered little to Sebastian now. Grief fueled his rage, and he raised his wand, a searing green light erupting toward Malekith, its heat mirroring his fury.
The Aether surged, forming a crimson barrier that halted the spell mid-air.
Thor seized the moment, charging with Mjolnir raised. Thunder cracked as the hammer slammed toward Malekith, lightning arcing across the sky.
The Dark Elf staggered back, Aether particles swirling to shield him, his feet carving twin gouges in the earth. The ground trembled, the clash of gods and magic shaking Greenwich to its core.
Sebastian's heart pounded, Wanda and Pietro's unknown fate gnawing at him. But here, now, he'd fight—for Frigga, for Thor, for the world he'd returned to.
"Bastard!" Malekith hissed, his voice laced with spite. He flung both hands forward, unleashing twin surges of crimson Aether particles toward Sebastian and Thor.
Thor whirled Mjolnir, its roar summoning a torrent of lightning that blasted the Aether aside, sparks flying as he held his ground. His eyes burned with unyielding wrath, a god unbroken by the Dark Elf's onslaught.
Sebastian raised his left hand, the Space Stone igniting with azure light, its glow cutting through the chaos.
A spiraling vortex of spatial energy materialized before him, swallowing the Aether's crimson tide. With a sharp flick, he shattered the particles, the Space Stone's power dismantling Malekith's assault.
Sebastian's wand moved with deadly grace, slashing through the air. Invisible blades—his Shadowless Sword spell—carved into Malekith, each strike eroding the Aether's protective veil.
The spell, a creation of Sebastian's, struck with surgical precision.
Malekith faltered, his defenses crumbling. A final, ruthless cut severed his right arm at the shoulder, the limb hitting the ground with a sickening thud.
Aether particles poured from the wound, staining the earth crimson.
"Thor! Now!" Sebastian shouted, his voice raw with grief for Frigga and dread for Wanda and Pietro, lost in the void.
He thrust his wand forward, a searing red streak—blazing like Fiendfyre—erupting from its tip, crashing into Malekith's weakening Aether barrier. Thor surged forward, Mjolnir aloft.
Blue-white thunder exploded from the hammer, merging with Sebastian's fiery spell in a cataclysmic strike.
The combined force obliterated Malekith's defenses, hurling him into the Dark Elf ship's hull.
The metal buckled, his body sinking into the wreckage, broken and bleeding. The Reality Stone's faint glow clung to him, barely preserving his life.
Sebastian's breath came in sharp gasps, his eyes fixed on Malekith's ruined form.
The Reality Stone pulsed within reach, its crimson light a siren's call.
He wouldn't let it slip to Asgard's allies—Collector or others—who'd squander it to cosmic threats.
With the Space Stone already his, the Reality Stone would make him untouchable, a step towards building a force to rival dimensional lords and gods on Earth.
He extended his left hand, the Space Stone flaring. A radiant blue vortex spun in his palm, its pull tearing the Aether from Malekith's body and the surrounding air. The crimson particles swirled, coalescing into a jagged, fingernail-sized red gem—the Reality Stone.
It finally settled in Sebastian's grasp.
Thor lowered Mjolnir, his gaze flickering with relief but shadowed by doubt. "Sebastian, that stone's a curse. Asgard should—"
"No," Sebastian interrupted, his voice resolute, eyes gleaming with purpose. "I've seen power lost to carelessness. I'll guard it—better than anyone."
Sebastian flicked his wrist, the Reality Stone vanishing into a pocket dimension secured by the Space Stone's power.
Thor, standing amidst the Greenwich wreckage, gave a curt nod. Handing the stone to Sebastian was safer than risking Asgard's loss to untrustworthy hands, and he trusted his friend's resolve.
Sebastian's gaze shifted to the Dark Elf spaceship, its sleek hull scarred from the battle. "Thor, what about this ship?" he asked, voice practical despite the ache in his chest. "We can't leave it here."
Thor shrugged, Mjolnir resting at his side. "Destroy it if you must, or handle it yourself."
"Let me take it," Sebastian said, a spark of an idea forming. "Tony could use it—repurpose its tech for something useful."
"Fine by me," Thor replied offhandedly, his attention already elsewhere.
He turned, spotting Jane Foster emerging from the crowd. Their eyes met, and they closed the distance, embracing in a kiss that spoke of battles won and moments cherished.
Sebastian shook his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips. Thor's heart was split between Earth and Asgard, yet he wore it openly.
Sebastian's own heart pulled elsewhere to Wanda, lost in the cosmic storm, and to Frigga, whose absence still burned.
He raised his hand, the Space Stone humming as it enveloped the spaceship in a blue vortex, pulling it into a pocket dimension for safekeeping. Tony would have a field day with it later.
Stepping to Thor's side, Sebastian cleared his throat. "Thor, I need to go to Asgard. When are you heading back?"
Thor blinked, pulling back from Jane. "Asgard? Soon. Why?"
Sebastian's voice softened, heavy with purpose. "I want to honor Frigga—pay my respects. And I need Heimdall's help. My friends, Wanda and Pietro they're lost out there. I have to find them."
Thor's expression warmed, understanding dawning. "Of course. Give me a moment to see Jane off, and we'll go. You can tell me where you've been this past year. Tony's been building some lifelike robot to comfort your mother, Alisha, you know—hiding your 'death' from her."
The mention of Alisha brought a genuine smile to Sebastian's face, a flicker of relief amid the chaos.
Once he located Wanda and Pietro, he'd return to Alisha and Tony, proving he was alive and whole.
Thor swung Mjolnir, lifting Jane in his arms as they soared into the sky, vanishing toward her temporary lodging. Nearby, Jane's allies Dr. Erik Selvig and Darcy Lewis—offered Sebastian quiet farewells, their faces a mix of relief.
They slipped through the crowd, hailing a taxi, their mortal lives resuming despite the cosmic clash they'd witnessed.
Sebastian shook his head at the contrast—gods and mortals, battles and taxis.
Settling onto a nearby boulder, he let the London Eye's shadow fall over him, its steady presence a stark reminder of Earth's resilience, For now, he waited for Thor to arrive.